Any 'shoestring' sailors?
Discussion
We all know the annecdotes; that owning a boat is like standing in a shower and ripping up £20 notes, that the best days in boat ownership are the day you buy and the day you sell and of course if it flies, f***s or floats rent it by the hour...
But I grew up boating on a budget sailing small cruisers with my dad which used a small outboard to get in and out of the harbour, were kept on trot moorings and maintained through your own hard graft (often on a beach between tides).
Having moved to Roker, Sunderland last summer I've been increasingly keen to get back on the water and to introduce my step kids and partner to sailing. We've all enjoyed paddle boarding but I think a small sailing cruiser is what we need.
So yesterday we bought this Hurley 22. It's a little neglected and wants quite a bit of work; though I think I can prioritise and have her back on the water for the start of the season. Pushed along by a small outboard in a well, the sails look it great nick, the interior is cramped but 'charming' and the deck looks a right mess - but that's just cosmetic with previous coats of paint flaking.
Plan is to get her cleaned up, antifouled and the rigging thoroughly checked/replaced as needed, service the engine then get her the 35 miles or so down the coast to home. Mooring yet to be arranged!!!
Anyone else boating on a shoestring?
But I grew up boating on a budget sailing small cruisers with my dad which used a small outboard to get in and out of the harbour, were kept on trot moorings and maintained through your own hard graft (often on a beach between tides).
Having moved to Roker, Sunderland last summer I've been increasingly keen to get back on the water and to introduce my step kids and partner to sailing. We've all enjoyed paddle boarding but I think a small sailing cruiser is what we need.
So yesterday we bought this Hurley 22. It's a little neglected and wants quite a bit of work; though I think I can prioritise and have her back on the water for the start of the season. Pushed along by a small outboard in a well, the sails look it great nick, the interior is cramped but 'charming' and the deck looks a right mess - but that's just cosmetic with previous coats of paint flaking.
Plan is to get her cleaned up, antifouled and the rigging thoroughly checked/replaced as needed, service the engine then get her the 35 miles or so down the coast to home. Mooring yet to be arranged!!!
Anyone else boating on a shoestring?
Krikkit said:
Would love to see some more pics and updates as you go along, sounds like a great project.
Yes I will do that. Only really took a fairly brief look if I'm honest and bought her 'as is'. I know there's work needed but the first thing will be get up next weekend and clear her out and also try and take a look at the rudder tube which is a known point of failure on these boats - my concern is how I'd get to it if it needs doing as access is via the crawl space under the cockpit and I'm a bit on the large side for that!Arnold Cunningham said:
I've always really liked the Hurley 22 - I think they're really pretty for a small yacht.
Me too! My first sailing experiences that I really remember were on a Hurley 20 which I loved. The 22 is just that little bigger though to be practical and has a much better displacement ratio
I'd love to know how you get on. One of my retirement plans is to get a boat of that sort of size to tinker with (and sail occasionally!).
I assume you have found the rudder info on the hurley assoc site? http://www.hurleyownersassociation.co.uk/pages/rud...
I have also found the ybw forum has some pretty helpful people.
When crawling into tight spaces lay some thick plastic (eg DPM sheet) first. You will slide in easier and avoid the horrible rash crawling on rough fibreglass gives you. Tuck your shirt into your trousers (so it cannot bunch up) and have someone ready to pull you out by your feet
I assume you have found the rudder info on the hurley assoc site? http://www.hurleyownersassociation.co.uk/pages/rud...
I have also found the ybw forum has some pretty helpful people.
When crawling into tight spaces lay some thick plastic (eg DPM sheet) first. You will slide in easier and avoid the horrible rash crawling on rough fibreglass gives you. Tuck your shirt into your trousers (so it cannot bunch up) and have someone ready to pull you out by your feet
Delighted to see another classic being brought back from the brink. H22's are worth the effort, just as any well respected car from the '60's would be, and will be admired by a growing rank of enthusiasts, far and wide.
The SA website might be a good source of info OP...
https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?/topic...
V34P's (and other Vancouver's) are in a similar group of little known yachts and I'm endeavouring to restore one back to life!
Enjoy the journey of restoration, OP, but, most importantly, have fun!
PQ
The SA website might be a good source of info OP...
https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?/topic...
V34P's (and other Vancouver's) are in a similar group of little known yachts and I'm endeavouring to restore one back to life!
Enjoy the journey of restoration, OP, but, most importantly, have fun!
PQ
J3JCV said:
Beautiful example! Spurs me on with ours!Thankyou all for the replies and advise, I've pondered the rudder tube issue and I think a nicely installed access hatch might be the way forward - will make future inspections easy too.
I've been looking for a bargain do-er-upper the past few months; tentatively looked at a Hurley 24/70 but the one I looked at was very rough and the inboard engine a little questionable. I also think that on a shoestring an outboard is probably the right answer - worst case it's a few hundred for a decent replacement.
I then decided I wanted something a little more performance orientated and started looking at Sonata's, which lead to viewing this very boat:
https://julianeveritt.com/2016/08/02/natural-magic...
Which is sadly in need of too much TLC for me and also probably a bit too exciting/hard work with a family
So I returned to Hurley, but ultimately I think I prefer the 22 to the (admittedly far more capacious and comfortable down below) 24/70.
D1bram said:
. I also think that on a shoestring an outboard is probably the right answer - worst case it's a few hundred for a decent replacement.
That's good thinking on a budget. Take it home and fix it at your leisure or just bin it and get a secondhand replacement - there's loads about and they're generally way cheaper than repairing or replacing an equivalent diesel inboard.IMO although it takes up room in the cockpit an outboard in a well is the best solution, especially if a transom hung outboard has to be offset to one side because the rudder is mounted on the transom too. The advantages of one in a well are you have instant water flow over the rudder at any speed which makes manouvering in tight spots far easier and if you're motor sailing in heavy weather the prop has a much better chance of staying in the water. Motor sailing with an off set transom mounted motor especially is a monumental pain in the the rectal area on whichever tack places the motor to windward in rough conditions.
The only downside of wells are you're limited by physical size of the motor you can fit and increased drag both from the leg and prop as well as water sloshing about in the well when you're sailing. I had a well on my last boat but the motor was light enough to easily lift out and shove in a locker and I'd made a blanking plate to fit in the well. Not really worth the effort of faffing about with that on a short trip but when sailing all day every little helped.
I'd fully accept that an inboard is ultimately better, but at this boat size and on a budget the outboard definitely makes sense - but having used outboards on my Dads boats growing up I know that they are not great for passage making under engine or manoeuvrability.
JS - the hurley does indeed have a well, it's in what might otherwise be considered a lazerette and while conveniently out of the way of the cockpit is unfortunately also aft of the rudder.
The boat has come equipped with a 4hp 4T, which might prove to be a little optimistic, though my dad sailed a Leisure 22 with a 4hp for many years and while it's a lighter boat it's considerable superstructure meant it suffered in windy conditions under motor.
JS - the hurley does indeed have a well, it's in what might otherwise be considered a lazerette and while conveniently out of the way of the cockpit is unfortunately also aft of the rudder.
The boat has come equipped with a 4hp 4T, which might prove to be a little optimistic, though my dad sailed a Leisure 22 with a 4hp for many years and while it's a lighter boat it's considerable superstructure meant it suffered in windy conditions under motor.
I have always wanted a Westerly Centaur...... they are so s
te they have a wistful charm about them, and they are everywhere. My friend who is a boat broker says look around enough and you could probably get one for free. Even if I just had one to tidy up and moored on a buoy mooring on a pretty estuary somewhere and eat fish and chips on the back of it, that would do me. Once you're out on the water, you're doing the same thing as everyone else, just without the horrendous costs.
Great project you have a head of you there, it is a very pretty boat!
te they have a wistful charm about them, and they are everywhere. My friend who is a boat broker says look around enough and you could probably get one for free. Even if I just had one to tidy up and moored on a buoy mooring on a pretty estuary somewhere and eat fish and chips on the back of it, that would do me. Once you're out on the water, you're doing the same thing as everyone else, just without the horrendous costs.Great project you have a head of you there, it is a very pretty boat!
Edited by Yidwann on Tuesday 1st March 12:47
I've had similar musings over the years. My (eventual) retirement plans have considered Sonatas, folkboats, hurley, folkboats, contessas and folkboats, lots of other boats with outboard engine / tiller helmed / no standing headroom / no shower etc. My simple logic is that small(er) = cheaper(er), and once you get down to a floating hike tent, the costs are manageable enough to have a go, see how you get on - it's the price of a decent family holiday rather than a second mortgage.
Watching this thread with interest to see how you get on
Watching this thread with interest to see how you get on
They certainly don't have the lines of a Hurley22, but there's lots of good things about a centaur - decent chine so they're fairly dry, bilge keel to you can put them on the beach, forgiving to sail. So I'd say lots of plus points. I mean, you could have a Macwester instead - all the downsides of a Westerley with none of the upsides. (My father had a Macwester Wight for 40 years)
Yidwann said:
I have always wanted a Westerly Centaur...... they are so ste they have a wistful charm about them, and they are everywhere. My friend who is a boat broker says look around enough and you could probably get one for free. Even if I just had one to tidy up and moored on a buoy mooring on a pretty estuary somewhere and eat fish and chips on the back of it, that would do me. Once you're out on the water, you're doing the same thing as everyone else, just without the horrendous costs.
Great project you have a head of you there, it is a very pretty boat!
te they have a wistful charm about them, and they are everywhere. My friend who is a boat broker says look around enough and you could probably get one for free. Even if I just had one to tidy up and moored on a buoy mooring on a pretty estuary somewhere and eat fish and chips on the back of it, that would do me. Once you're out on the water, you're doing the same thing as everyone else, just without the horrendous costs.Great project you have a head of you there, it is a very pretty boat!
Edited by Yidwann on Tuesday 1st March 12:47
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